Irōzaki Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
is a lighthouse
located on a hill at the outermost extremity of Cape Irōzaki south of Minamiizu Town
, Shizuoka Prefecture
, Japan
on the southernmost extremity of Izu Peninsula
. It is located within the borders of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
.
Although not one of the eight lighthouses stipulated specifically by the provisions of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce
of 1858, the Irōzaki Lighthouse was one of the earliest of the 26 lighthouses to be built in Meiji period
Japan by British engineer
Richard Henry Brunton
, and was the tenth western style lighthouse to be completed in Japan. Its construction was given priority by the Meiji government due to the frequency of marine accidents off the Izu Peninsula. The original structure as designed by Brunton was octagonal, and was constructed of wood.
The Irōzaki lighthouse was completed on October 5, 1871. This structure was destroyed during a wind storm on November 14, 1932 and was replaced with the current reinforced concrete
structure on March 31, 1933. Its lens was upgraded and structure repaired in 1993.
The Irōzaki Lighthouse is listed as one of the “50 Lighthouses of Japan” by the Japan Lighthouse Association. It is operated by the Japan Coast Guard
.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located on a hill at the outermost extremity of Cape Irōzaki south of Minamiizu Town
Minamiizu, Shizuoka
is a town located at the southern tip of Izu Peninsula in Kamo District, Shizuoka, Japan. As of February 2009, the town has an estimated population of 9,637 and a density of 87.1 persons per km². The total area is 110.58 km².-Geography:...
, Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on the southernmost extremity of Izu Peninsula
Izu Peninsula
The is a large mountainous peninsula with deeply indented coasts to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshū, Japan. Formerly the eponymous Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture...
. It is located within the borders of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
is a national park in Yamanashi, Shizuoka, and Kanagawa Prefectures, and western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It consists of Mount Fuji, Fuji Five Lakes, Hakone, the Izu Peninsula, and the Izu Islands....
.
Although not one of the eight lighthouses stipulated specifically by the provisions of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce
Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce
The was signed on August 26, 1858 by Lord Elgin and the then representatives of the Japanese government . This was an unequal treaty, that gave Japan semi-colonial status.The concessions which Japan made were threefold:...
of 1858, the Irōzaki Lighthouse was one of the earliest of the 26 lighthouses to be built in Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
Japan by British engineer
O-yatoi gaikokujin
The Foreign government advisors in Meiji Japan, known in Japanese as oyatoi gaikokujin , were those foreign advisors hired by the Japanese government for their specialized knowledge to assist in the modernization of Japan at the end of the Bakufu and during the Meiji era. The term is sometimes...
Richard Henry Brunton
Richard Henry Brunton
Richard Henry Brunton FRGS MICE was the so-called "Father of Japanese lighthouses". Brunton was born in Muchalls, Kincardineshire, Scotland...
, and was the tenth western style lighthouse to be completed in Japan. Its construction was given priority by the Meiji government due to the frequency of marine accidents off the Izu Peninsula. The original structure as designed by Brunton was octagonal, and was constructed of wood.
The Irōzaki lighthouse was completed on October 5, 1871. This structure was destroyed during a wind storm on November 14, 1932 and was replaced with the current reinforced concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
structure on March 31, 1933. Its lens was upgraded and structure repaired in 1993.
The Irōzaki Lighthouse is listed as one of the “50 Lighthouses of Japan” by the Japan Lighthouse Association. It is operated by the Japan Coast Guard
Japan Coast Guard
The , formerly the Maritime Safety Agency, is the Japanese coast guard. Comprising about 12,000 personnel, it is under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and is responsible for the protection the coast-lines of Japan...
.